Hi, Hopefully one of you kind fellows can assist!
I wanted to open my fireplace back to its original size to put a log burning stove in. Before removing the existing fireplace I wanted to double check that there was a lintel / it was structurally sound.
Well, I ended up removing plaster up to about 6ft and finding a right mess of brickwork filling in gaps where original keyed bricks have been removed above the fireplace , no lintel and a lot of bricks that have not been keyed in. (Not to mention a live cable running through the middle!)
I need some advice as to what to do next!
The house is 1950s build and has an interesting arch design which joins the 2 ground floor breasts into a single central breast upstairs.
Can anyone offer advice on:
A) do I need a lintel and where a lintel should be placed
B) what I should do above the lintel to repair the bodged brickwork
C) why this might have been done in the first place?
Hope you can help
I wanted to open my fireplace back to its original size to put a log burning stove in. Before removing the existing fireplace I wanted to double check that there was a lintel / it was structurally sound.
Well, I ended up removing plaster up to about 6ft and finding a right mess of brickwork filling in gaps where original keyed bricks have been removed above the fireplace , no lintel and a lot of bricks that have not been keyed in. (Not to mention a live cable running through the middle!)
I need some advice as to what to do next!
The house is 1950s build and has an interesting arch design which joins the 2 ground floor breasts into a single central breast upstairs.
Can anyone offer advice on:
A) do I need a lintel and where a lintel should be placed
B) what I should do above the lintel to repair the bodged brickwork
C) why this might have been done in the first place?
Hope you can help